City Commission Seat 1 race allegedly gets physical

Oct. 29, 2012

Steve Stewart

Written by

Senior government editor

There’s been plenty of finger pointing between Scott Maddox and Steve Stewart in their race for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1, and now there’s an allegation of a physical confrontation between the two candidates.

Stewart says Maddox pushed him during a news conference Friday at the Florida Press Center, though Maddox denies it.

A reporter from the Tallahassee Democrat attended the news conference but didn’t see any physical contact.

A video of the TV coverage sent to the Democrat by Stewart shows nothing conclusive.

Maddox held the news conference to speak out against a political committee that’s running attack ads against him.

After he spoke, Stewart, who’d shown up at the news conference, moved toward the lectern. Maddox told Stewart, “Don’t stand next to me. Thanks.”

Stewart said it was then that Maddox pushed him.

“I was standing next to him,” Stewart said. “I started to talk. He reached out and shoved me and said, ‘I don’t want to stand next to you.’ ”

Maddox said he put his hand out as Stewart approached him.

“Steve walked right up to me,” Maddox said. “I didn’t know what he was going to do. I put my hand out. He ran into my hand. I’d extended it and said, ‘Please don’t stand next to me. Thanks.’ ”

Maddox called the allegation “ridiculous.”

“What a baby,” Maddox said.

Stewart said he probably won’t file a police report because he wants to “focus on finishing this race about the issues.”

He said voters need to know about the incident because “We don’t need somebody on the City Commission who can’t control his emotions when he’s challenged and held accountable.”